Chapter Text
“From the beginning on Mrs. Park has been out for my client’s money that she now tries to get by claiming sole custody for their child and asking for a horrendously high settlement.” His finger taps against the desk with each word to accentuate his accusation, watching the man’s face across him flinching with each pound, while the woman next to him regards him with a cold face.
The man wipes the sweat off his forehead and scrambles for his papers on the desk. “You have no proof for your accusation,” the lawyer tries weakly, then clears his throat. “Mrs. Park has profound reasons for the divorce and is only claiming what is lawfully hers. Mr. Park meanwhile proved throughout their marriage that he is a bad father to the child—”
“Pah,” Jae scoffs coldly and gives his client a smirk before he intertwines his fingers and leans forward to the sweating lawyer. “My client devoted his everything to their marriage even though that woman blackmailed him with that child. It’s an ancient trick; wave the thing people want the most in front of their face and then threaten to take it away. Puff, you suddenly get anything you want served on a silver plate. Your client is neither getting sole custody for the child nor a penny out of this divorce.”
Mrs. Park suddenly stands up from her seat and throws a nasty glance at Jae and his client, her soon-to-be-ex-husband. “Be warned, Jae Park, I won’t lose this divorce. Give me my money or we’ll see each other in court.”
Her lawyer scrambles hastily after her while Jae waves them with a confident smirk on his lips. People don’t call him the best lawyer for nothing. There is no ‘impossible’ in the dictionary of Jae Park. He has earned his place on their firm’s wall. That woman will see what he has in store for her. No one messes with his friends, not if Jae can help it.
And since she doesn’t want an out-of-court settlement Jae has to destroy her in court. His specialty.
“I can’t thank you enough, man.” His client, his good old friend Sungjin, exhales deeply and smiles back at Jae, clasping his hand over Jae’s expensive blazer. “I’m so glad when things are finally over.”
“I’ve told you from the beginning that she’s a witch.”
Jae remembers too well. Years ago, when Sungjin came to him with the confession that his girlfriend was pregnant and he couldn’t leave the child in her hands, Jae shook his head and told him not to fall for her games. A week later Sungjin came to him again, this time as a married man. But Jae’s a good friend, so he congratulated him first and then offered him his service second. A prenup is never a bad idea in those situations – another foolish thing Sungjin did by declining it. Love makes you a fool.
Sungjin sighs as he has heard Jae’s nagging often enough over the years. “I know, I know. I was wrong and you were right.”
“Jae doesn’t need more encouragement to boost his immense ego.”
Sungjin’s eyes instantly start to gleam at the arrival of Jae’s secretary, Wonpil, and a smile slowly grows on his face. Jae wants to throw up at the sight of those two crushing on each other. At least Wonpil has the decency not to be so obvious.
“My ego’s perfectly normal.”
“It’s bigger than this building,” Wonpil snorts and starts to collect the papers on the desk, then puts another file in front of Jae. It elicits a chuckle from Sungjin. “Your 2 pm appointment is waiting in your office.”
“Then I shall take my leave. Hopefully I won’t stumble over my big ego.”
“We see each other in court?”
Jae throws Sungjin finger pistols, stopping shortly to wink at him. “We’re gonna get her, promise. The jury’s going to eat out my hand.”
~~~
What is there to say about Jae Park?
His corner office has the most precious view of New York, without a doubt a beautiful scenery, especially at night. A full window front behind his desk, something he can turn to once he needs a fresh look away from all the papers on his desk and even more documents on his computer.
His suits are all from posh designer brands, only the best of the bests. His closet is a bigger room than some people’s flats, equipped with enough storage for his many watches, shirts, slacks, hoodies, polished shoes and so on. His apartment has an outlook that is even prettier than the one in his office.
People love his chill personality, his talent of arguing his way out of situations, and his smart approach to life. He has a perfect love life, many friends to spend the money with, a reputation of being on top of the New Yorker lawyer scene. Jae loves his life even though Wonpil likes to describe it as lonely.
“I have you,” Jae reminds him again and again. His secretary and partner ever since Jae had started as junior partner in this firm, one of the youngest in his firm’s history. His Harvard diploma still hangs proudly in his office.
“And Sungjin.” His friend from Harvard, the old roommate that somehow has never left Jae even when he was only a pitiful good-for-nothing compared to the top of his class. Jae still grits his teeth if he thinks about him. “And that guy from downstairs. The IT-one, y’know?”
Wonpil then always eyes him with a disappointed look and corrects him, “You mean Dowoon?”
“Yeah, that’s him!”
And apparently Dowoon. They work at the same place and—well, that sums up what Jae knows about him. Oh, and that Dowoon works meticulously and brings him valuable evidence once his traditional sources have failed him.
Really, what else does Jae need in his life? Life is good, life is easy, life is exactly what it should be. Jae at the top of the world, no one better than him. He knows that he sits on a high horse and that someday someone will eventually push him down from that, but for now he is content.
Minus the Sungjin predicament. Well, nothing Jae can’t solve, right?
Jae currently stands in court and waits for the judge’s arrival. Sungjin next to him looks confidently ahead because they both know that this is going to be quick and dirty. Jae has no doubt that he will win this within half an hour. That sweating wreck that is the opponent’s lawyer doesn’t stand a chance against Jae. One only needs to look at the empty seat next to Mrs. Park to know that the man is probably shitting his pants at this exact moment.
“Jae.”
A tap against his shoulder. Jae glances to Wonpil behind him who wears a face that only speaks of trouble.
“What is it?”
The doors suddenly open and the judge walks in, an impatient woman that looks like she wants to be anywhere else than here.
“Mrs. Park changed her lawyer last minute.”
They all sit down after the judge tells them to.
“Who?” Because there is currently no lawyer sitting next to Mrs. Park. The judge throws him a look when she hears him whispering, a small warning leaving her lips.
“Mrs. Park, I see that the seat next to yours is empty,” the judge’s voice bellows through the room. “I take it that you are defending yourself then?”
Mrs. Park shakes her head and smiles slightly at the judge. “I’m sorry, but my lawyer will arrive any second now.”
Jae hears the tell-tale crinkle of a paper behind him. Even Sungjin frowns at Wonpil’s less than obvious try to give Jae the paper. Even the judge catches him.
“Mr. Park—” Both Jae and Sungjin whip their heads to the judge. “The lawyer. We’re in a courtroom here and not in high school. If I see you exchanging papers one time again, I will send you out of the room.”
“Understood, your honor.”
However, Jae still tries to catch a glance at the paper between his fingers when suddenly the doors open again and another figure strides down the aisle. Jae’s face contorts in irritation at the newcomer.
He should have smelled this the minute Wonpil told him she changed lawyers.
“I’m sorry I’m late but last-minute changes are always bumpy, right?”
The way he smiles, all sleazy and smug, Jae feels his hackles rising. Fuck, he hates this man, his sworn enemy ever since Harvard. Remember top of the class? That’s him, the lawyer in that three-piece suit that hugs his every curve as if the court is a catwalk and not some serious shit. Brian Kang, top of the world just like Jae, always charming people off their asses and his way out of impossible situations.
Wonpil always points out that Jae and Brian aren’t that different, but Jae would have none of it. Nothing in this world gets Jae to see Brian as his equal. Nope, never, nada. He has his pride and Brian is a thorn in his immaculate life.
“I don’t appreciate people that are late,” the judge reprimands him sharply, her lips in a tight line. It doesn’t bother Brian in any way, the fucker is still smiling as if Santa brought him more presents than he deserves. He even has the audacity to throw him a confident smile to which Jae only huffs in annoyance. “Now that Mrs. Park’s lawyer has finally arrived, we can start the session.”
“If I may have a word, your honor,” Brian immediately jumps in and rises from his seat. The judge motions for him to continue. “I’d like to ask for a postponement. I only got the case ten minutes ago and didn’t have much time to prepare myself.”
The judge is about to say something about it, but Jae has different plans. He scoffs loudly as he leans back in his chair, throwing Brian a challenging gaze. “I thought you were that good. Ten minutes should be enough for you to build a case, right?”
Jae isn’t above playing dirty, never was and will never be. Every mean is fine with him as long as it brings him to his desired end. Another win over Brian is something very much desired as it would finally turn the tide to his favor.
“Mr. Park—”
The judge tries to scold him again, but Brian butts in this time. “I could beat you even without knowing any details. I just thought I’m giving you a fair treatment by postponing the trial.” The judge looks angrier with every sentence they throw at each other. Jae couldn’t care any less about her.
“I’d wipe the floor with your ass within seconds, there’s no chance you can win this case.”
“Don’t overestimate yourself. Losing has never been a good look on you. We want to preserve your dignity at least a bit, right?”
“My dignity? You’re the one who will—”
“That’s enough!” The judge’s hammer hits the table in a loud beat, silencing the quarrel between the enemies. he was only annoyed a minute ago, but now she looks like murdering someone. “You two are professional lawyers and not children. Exchanging papers, coming late to a court hearing, and then disputing in my courtroom? Misbehave one time again and I will kick you out. Both of you.”
“Your honor, I’m sorry and I agree with you,” Brian, always the ass kissing bootlicker, tries to win over the judge with his handsome smile. Jae scoffs loudly at the obvious try. “The opponent’s lawyer is obviously not fit for such a case. Why should he represent a man in a divorce if he himself plays with dirty tricks? He’s a relationship-phobic and self-centered man who only cares about his own money and person.”
What the fuck?!
“Objection, your honor!” Jae suddenly jumps from his seat, hitting his hands loudly against the table. He gets what Brian is trying to do. “My person has nothing to do with this case!”
“I have to agree with Mr. Park, Mr. Kang. Please refrain from—”
“I’m trying to make a point here.” Brian points with his finger to Jae, leaving his seat to pace in the middle of the room. “Consider what kind of man Mr. Park is and then ask yourself, what does it say about his client? Because Sungjin Park and Jae Park have been friends for at least ten years. The people you surround yourself with tell a lot about you as a person.”
“What is your point, Mr. Kang?”
Jae can’t let him get through with it. “Your honor, this is defamation against my person! This case is about Mr. and Mrs. Park’s marriage and not about what kind of person my client is!”
“But it is!” Brian exclaims loudly and looks at Jae. His eyes say, Got’cha. Fuck, that was a trap, Jae realizes too late. “A divorce is about the people involved in it . Our clients have disagreements on nearly every topic of the settlement. Your side claims that my client is a money-hungry whore who only cares about herself, which she definitely isn’t! I’m only presenting the possibility that Mr. Sungjin Park, too, isn’t what he seems to be at first glance.”
He then turns back to the judge, waving with his hand toward Jae and Sungjin. “This is why I need more time to prepare the case; to find out who Sungjin Park really is. To protect my client and come to an agreement in her best interest. In both clients’ best interests.”
Jae tries to rebut for the last time. “Your honor, this is bullshit and you know that! Mr. Kang—”
“Even without your moving speech the court would have granted you a postponement, Mr. Kang.” But that wasn’t the point, Jae wants to cry. “Next time, Mr. Kang and Mr. Park, you will behave in my court. I expect fully prepared and punctual lawyers and not two high school students who think the world revolves around their rivalry. Court is hereby adjourned.”
“Fuck,” Sungjin suddenly cusses under his breath, but Jae is too preoccupied by the other lawyer in the room. Jae is fuming in anger; he wants to throttle the other to death. Especially when Brian winks at him while he leaves the room. “What was that about?!”
“Man, he teared you apart,” Wonpil helpfully comments and only spurs his anger.
The room slowly empties, and Jae waits for the right moment to smack his papers onto the table and fall back into his chair with a loud huff. “Fucking shit. I hate this guy.”
As Jae is fuming in his seat, Sungjin gets very much alarmed. His friend grabs his arm and glares at him. “Jae, tell me that your rivalry with Brian won’t affect this case.”
“As if,” Wonpil huffs and starts to massage Sungjin’s shoulder. “It means that Jae has to work twice as hard as before.” And before Sungjin can cuss even more Wonpil adds a mirthful, “But it also means that you’ll get more than you bargained for in case we win.”
“I’ll win this,” Jae swears whole heartedly, still staring into the room as he contemplates his next move. “There’s no way in hell that I’ll lose to fucking Kang. Not after the shit-show he just pulled. Relationship-phobic and self-centered? Who does he think he is?!”
“He isn’t wrong though—”
“Not the right moment, Wonpil. He discredited me in front of the judge to influence her opinion on Sungjin, too.”
And anyone who messes with Jae’s friend will see it coming back to them. Jae will make sure that his revenge will be bitter-sweet.
~~~
First year in college was for Jae to prove people that he wasn’t the kind of guy everyone thought him to be. Maybe he was still lanky and loved to start an argument with anyone who even breathed wrongly in his direction. Jae, however, was determined to make something out of his passion. He had the choice between poli-sci and law and once Harvard accepted him for a law degree, his decision was made.
Jae was one of the best, which wasn’t good enough for an aspiring lawyer. Jae wanted to be the best, the top of all. He would then get a position in a highly regarded law firm and work his way up until he finally gets it: his name on the wall. He had everything he needed for it; he was charming, street-smart, and highly intelligent.
“And this concludes my argument, your honor. This is why the accused deserves to be sent to jail for at least five years.” Jae slammed the thick folder onto his desk in front of the lecture hall and smiled confidently that he could win this mock trial. His argument was without a flaw, the evidence backed up his case and the jury, especially the cute one in the front row, loved him. There was no way that Jae would lose this time, especially not with his closing argument. It was the right mix of appealing to emotions and emphasizing the most relevant facts.
His opponent, though, didn’t look as defeated as Jae thought he would be. No, his enemy since day one only smirked at him before he left his place behind his desk and wandered over to the jury, then glanced over the whole lecture hall. He cocked his head, his eyes half-lidded —it made Jae’s blood boil. Jae had worked hard throughout the night to make a solid case in search for justice, but Brian here only made pretty eyes for the jury and put on an act that was worth an Oscar.
“Let’s be honest, alright?” Brian’s voice bellowed through the lecture hall even though his voice was soft and calm. His eyes glistened in the light. “I won’t deny what my client—what Mr. Smith did. As the prosecution has proved you the last few hours, the evidence is solid and points to one thing: the truth. And that is what every lawyer, every human being should aspire in their life: To be honest with others and to be honest with yourself.”
A dramatic pause, a deep breath and his head tucked to his chest. Jae was inclined to believe his act if only he hadn’t known how Brian ticked.
“And that’s why Mr. Smith confessed his wrong-doings – but not because he got pressured to do so or because I told him to. He confessed because he knows that the victim deserves it. That he deserves the truth and nothing but the truth.”
His voice grew determined with every word he said. Everyone in the room was glued to his lips, eager to hear what would follow because so far, Brian had only agreed to everything that Jae had pointed out today. What was his plan? What was it that would ultimately lead to Jae’s downfall? There was no other way this would turn out, not if Brian was pulling out every stop.
“However.” Brian was firm, determined, his eyes hardened at what would follow. “Just like Mr. Smith knows that the truth has to be treasured, we all owe him to listen to his truth. And his truth doesn’t stop with the fact that he assaulted the victim. No, it goes even further.
“Mr. Smith was desperate because he’s got a small child that needs him as there isn’t anyone else who can take care of it. He was only trying to make the best out of a hopeless situation and for him, after trying to do it the right way, the only thing left was to steal the victim’s money and use it to buy food for his child. No one could have guessed that it would end like this, especially not the defendant who expresses his regrets and guilt and sorrow with every breath he takes.
“This is why I am asking you, each one of you, to consider his truth, too. That’s what he deserves. Thank you for your attention.”
“This is bullshit,” Jae uttered under his breath and nearly snapped his pen in halves. The boy next to him, some random fellow student who played the victim, slid away from Jae when he started fuming in his seat.
Brian gave the most heartfelt and illogical speech that Jae had ever heard in his life, making it all about human morals and ethics and empathy, even though Jae had just proven that the accused had acted out of selfish reasons. Hell, Jae had proven that the guy was a pretty good actor who only shed crocodile tears.
But he could see it in the eyes of the jury how they considered Brian’s words and how they should decide. It shouldn’t matter, Jae had won anyway. The guy would go to jail if this case was real, all thanks to Jae.
“Let me ask you a question, Mr. Kang, Mr. Park.”
Their lecturer stood in front of them with the students in her back. Jae and Brian faced them all while waiting for the jury to come back with their verdict. Jae’s finger tapped against his thigh to get rid of the nervous thrumming in his veins, something that would hopefully vanish with experience. Jae didn’t want to be the kind of lawyer who would think too much about his case. He needed to be emotionally and personally detached. This was all about the client and only about the client.
“Between the both of you, who made the better job of representing your client?”
Jae hated it when lecturers made them evaluate themselves to gain a sense of reflection and self-judgement. Jae knew that this was a trick question and had to think about what to answer. As it seemed neither Jae nor Brian were too hot on complimenting the other, albeit Jae had a lot to say. Only negative things, of course.
“I am content with my work,” Jae eventually admitted and wanted to continue. The lecturer, however, cut him off.
“I didn’t ask if you are happy with your work. I asked who made the better job? And please, keep in mind the specific tasks that you got before the mock trial.”
“My task was to strive for the highest punishment Mr. Smith can get for his criminal act,” Jae recounted, his fingers balling into fists.
“Mr. Kang?”
Brian smiled confidently at her. Did Jae miss anything? “Mine was to get the lowest punishment possible.”
“Which you weren’t able to,” Jae pointed out, yet he earned a raised eyebrow from his lecturer. “There’s no way that Mr. Smith will walk out as a free man. I made a solid case and Kang couldn’t find any holes in it.”
“But that wasn’t my task.” Jae stilled when Brian cocked his head to him, looking at him as if he was looking down on him, eyes half-lidded and that goddamn smile on his lips. “I knew right from the beginning that your case would be solid. I mean, it wasn’t a difficult task to begin with, but I have to give it to you that you did the best you were able to.” Jae frowned in confusion and tried to understand what exactly Brian tried to tell him. “However, I wasn’t striving to make him a free man in the first place. I was only trying to get a less severe punishment than the highest one. There is no way that Mr. Smith is going to jail for five years. Two years on parole sounds more possible.”
And when the jury eventually returned to the room to announce exactly what Brian had predicted, two years on parole, Jae finally realized his mistake. His facts and evidence weren’t worth a thing if his opponent was appealing to the most human morals – respect, justice, truth. Brian had played them all, Jae, the jury, his fellow students. Mr. Smith was a cold man who didn’t care about his daughter, yet he got two years on parole so he could take care of her. Jae had not once proven that the man’s sister was actually caring for the child and had never gotten any money from Mr. Smith.
He thought that they all would see through the act, see through the man who was smiling behind his crocodile tears. In the end, they all got blinded by the nice smile and words Brian had thrown at them.
If Brian had taught him one thing on that day, then that it didn’t matter who your client was. No matter how bad and dirty his actions were, you had to turn the situation to their advantage – not that of all humankind. A moral that disgusted Jae, that he didn’t want to live by.
But it wouldn’t harm if Jae played with dirty rules from then on, too.
“You know nothing about this world,” Brian had once whispered into his ear after that mock trial, just a moment before Jae lunged at him.
Jae knew enough about the world. He knew enough to despise Brian for his existence. The charmer, the contortionist, the man without morale, the man who would do anything for a victory despite who his client was.
“You know nothing about me,” Brian had then whispered into his naked shoulder, just a moment before the door closed in front of him, his smile never leaving Jae’s mind from then on.
~~~
Their firm’s IT is a place always blanketed in darkness, lighted by the many screens in there. Where bodies vanish into the darkness, faces are touched by blues and whites.
Jae walks into the IT and searches for the man he needs, his biggest hope if he wants to be a step ahead in Sungjin’s case. With the evening being progressed as far as it is now, only one person sits in the room. Exactly the one who Jae needs right now.
“Late night?”
Dowoon looks up with bright eyes and leans back in his seat. “I knew you’d be coming to be sooner or later.”
“Ah,” Jae hums and cocks his head. “Wonpil talked to you?”
“Told me every embarrassing detail about your run in with Kang today.”
His smile very much wants to vanish from his face, but Jae widens it even more, just to show Dowoon that it doesn’t get to Jae as much as it actually does. “Maybe I should cut his salary, so he stops gossiping about me.”
“That probably won’t stop him at all,” Dowoon chuckles and shakes his head. The air clears quickly and Dowoon sobers with it. “I am a bit confused, Jae. I’ve already dug up everything about Sungjin’s wife. I don’t know if there is more.”
“Ah, no, I want something different.” Hard to believe but not once has Jae ever done what he will assign to Dowoon. The thought is luring him in, has been for the past few years, but after the shit show today Jae is much determined to do it. “I want you to find any dirt on Brian Kang.”
Jae hasn’t anticipated the smile he receives from Dowoon. “I was waiting for this day to happen, you know? I already did some research on him but came up with nothing. The guy is clean, at least on what I can find out there.”
“What do you need? Maybe I can help you somehow?”
His stomach swoops at the gaze Dowoon gives him. Shit, which hole has he dug himself into now?
~~~
Where do you find one of the classiest and richest lawyers in New York? First, Jae is thinking hard about that question while he watches New York in the dark with all their lights up, a spectacle that Jae likes watching every day. Then Wonpil swoops in and hits him on the head because Jae, in Wonpil’s word, is some dumb ass.
“Where would you go?” Wonpil asks and Jae understands immediately.
That’s how he gets here. A very classy but still down-to-earth bar that has the third-best view over New York. After a short stop home where he opens a certain drawer, takes out two silver hoops and puts them into his ears, Jae walks into the Moonrise with confidence. The bodyguards know him well enough to let him in with only a nod, the barkeeper already has his drink ready when he walks up to him, and the waitress leads him to the table he always sits at.
Only that today someone else is already sitting there, looking at him as if he has been waiting for hours.
“Took you long enough,” the intruder confirms Jae’s suspicions and motions for him to take a seat next to him on the settee. His fingers swirl around a good whiskey. He doesn’t wear a cravat anymore and the first few buttons are open.
Brian lounges in Jae’s favorite seat as if he is the king of the world and everything belongs to him. Jae included.
“Didn’t know you’ve been waiting for me,” Jae chuckles and takes a sip from his gin, placing it delicately on the table.
The only way for him to win this game, this case, is for Jae to play along. Brian is one hell of an actor and lawyer, but Jae strives to be better. Is better. What Brian can do Jae can do even better.
“I knew that you would come to me sooner or later. I only helped you to find me.” Brian speaks in a low voice, sensual and charming. He tries to steal Jae’s breath, something that is not lost on Jae. Only that he has long become immune to it.
Jae huffs a curt laugh, cocking one eyebrow. “You really think I wouldn’t have found you without your help? There are only two other places to look for you and that is either your office or the courthouse.”
“What about my home? Or my friends?”
“Oh, you have any?”
Brian laughs under his breath, his smile lingering on his lips. “Got me there. But too bad that I canceled on my friends to be here instead. Otherwise, you could have convinced yourself about their existence.”
It doesn’t get past Jae that they both lean forward with each word until their thighs touch and their arms too. Jae moves in his seat to turn toward the younger, putting half his leg as distance between their bodies. His knee still presses into Brian’s hips, but hopefully it annoys him more than anything else.
“What is so important that you have to be here?” Jae looks at Brian through his lashes, his fingers lightly wandering along Brian’s arm and shoulder. They stop shortly at his neck to wander down his arm again.
It earns Jae a charming half-smile half-smirk from Brian, who cocks his head and leans it against his shoulder. “Maybe I enjoy our conversations?”
How funny, Jae snorts in fake-amusement. “You mostly make fun of me if you aren’t trying to destroy my cases.”
“I think that is funny.” His arm suddenly moves and his finger flicks against his silver hoop. Brian’s gaze darkens. “I know that you are here to seduce me for some information.”
Jae catches his hand to stop the flicking. “What about it?”
The hand turns around in his grip. “You aren’t really subtle. You think I would miss this?” The hand leaves his grip, caresses the hoop before it wanders down to his neck and dunks into his collar to fish for the necklace hidden underneath his shirt. “The chain doesn’t look nice anymore, maybe you should get a new one.” The silver of his necklace has long become dull as Jae wears it every day ever since he got it as a present.
Jae pushes the hand away from his necklace and tugs it back under his shirt. “It’s none of your business.” Brian raises one eyebrow. “Leave it.”
“Okay, Jae Park, I stop,” Brian utters in defeat and heaves his hands in the air. “You’re right about one thing, though.”
“And that would be?”
Brian’s hand suddenly finds its way onto Jae’s thigh and starts to stroke it, always going higher but never high enough. “I am not opposed to being seduced.”
“When did I say that?” Jae stops the hand’s motion with his own.
“You didn’t have to.” The fingers turn around and pull Jae’s hand to Brian’s lips. “I know you well enough to hear words without you saying them.” He presses his lips against the hand, whispering a deep, “You don’t have to worry about those words. I’ll keep them a secret,” before he presses a kiss against his palm.
“What would Mrs. Park think of you sleeping with her husband’s lawyer?” The spot tingles when Brian’s lips eventually leave, and Jae has to swallow at the sight that Brian offers. A smile, seductive and confident, a gaze so dark and filled with lust.
“What would Mr. Park think of you sleeping with his wife’s lawyer?”
“Sungjin knows us both long enough—”
“Ah, did you tell him about the Smith case? Or about Monaco? Or the many gifts—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Jae hastily cuts Brian off from revealing more and more secrets for the world to hear, even though no one in their near vicinity is listening in. “And for the record, the Smith case was in college, we were young and naïve—”
“Monaco was only two years ago, though?”
Jae abruptly takes his hand out of Brian’s and sits back in his seat with enough space between them. Maybe this is exactly what Brian is trying to do, to push Jae to his emotional limit and then make him talk about the case. Fuck, Jae is only trapping himself with this. But he has to do it. He needs the fucking information to finally take down the man in front of him.
“Look,” Jae starts and turns back to Brian but stops instantly when he sees the smile gone on Brian’s face. The only thing left is a gaze that is so piercing and full of want that it finally does it for Jae. He loses his breath.
“Do what you want, Jae, throw stones at me, curse me or seduce me, but at the end of the day it won’t matter, and you know why?” His hand caresses his earring again and then grabs him by the neck, pulling his face close to Brian’s. “Because I will always be one step ahead of you. I’ve already won the case, so try what you have to. It won’t change a thing. There’s no way you will win against me.”
And then Brian surges in to close the gap between them, claiming Jae’s lips with his own, and Jae, weak and always falling apart under this man’s fingers, returns the kiss with as much fervor as he is being kissed with. Brian tastes of whiskey, woody and sharp but still sweet. It’s the taste of the younger that does it to Jae; the smell and taste of what is only Brian makes him fall into that pit again and again, a place where his heart lies broken in shards, always mended by soft lips against his skin and broken by harsh words spoken through said lips.
“Come home with me,” Brian whispers with a small giggle on their lips when people around them start to stare. Two men kissing hotly in a bar, something that people would gossip about until it reaches the right ears, but the world is long used to Brian and Jae. They turn a blind eye when it comes to money, quieten their voices when it comes to protect their own.
The apartment’s door shuts behind Brian with a loud bang as Jae gets pushed against it. Hands are tearing at his clothes, loosening the collar around his throat so Brian has better access to the skin beneath it. Lips latch onto it, sucking and nibbling up and down to scatter deep red marks. Jae groans loudly under the touch of cold fingers against his belly, fingers that open button for button.
Jae eagerly pushes Brian’s jacket from his shoulder to do the same, pulling Brian closer to him by his neck and going in for another hot kiss. Their tongues dance hotly around each other, a play of push and pull that neither is eager to lose.
They tumble their way to the bedroom, more of a Brian pulling Jae with him through his flat and getting rid of clothes that are in the way of their lips and hands. The back of Jae’s knees hit the bed and Jae falls back, Brian quickly climbs after him and settles down in his lap.
“God,” Brian breathes in awe while his fingers trail along the necklace until they reach the cross on his chest, pushing the fine silver pendant into Jae’s skin. Jae exhales sharply at the sharp touch, grabbing Brian by the hips and thrusting up to rub his hard-on against Brian’s thigh. Brian falls forward and catches himself last second with his arms around Jae’s head, looking him deeply into his eyes. “The things you do to me…” His lips fleetingly touch those of Jae, not kissing, only barely there. “You have no idea.”
Jae tries to close the distance, but Brian pulls away with a smirk. “I think I have an inkling.” Jae snaps after him when Brian pulls away again, chuckling at Jae’s angered expression.
“And I think that my mouth can be better used.”
Jae’s breathing quickens when Brian settles between his legs, his hands wandering along his thigh, up, up, up until they meet his boxers, tugging at the hem but nothing more. Instead, he pushes one leg up to his face and starts to kiss the skin softly. Jae giggles at the tickling sensation, something that is immediately shut up by the way Brian looks at him.
His eyes are dark, gleaming in the spare light of the city, full of hunger and lust and want, all while his mouth slowly opens to bite into the skin, then suck, then lavish his tongue to remedy for the harsh bite. The higher Brian gets with this, the louder Jae whines for more. Finally, Brian has some mercy with him and palms his hard-on through the boxers, soft caresses that are definitely not enough.
“Fuck, I thought you meant something entirely else. If not, I have something much better for your mouth to do.”
Brian tuts at him, suddenly nosing along his still clothed erection. “So impatient, Mr. Park.”
“God, I’ve already told you not to call me like that.”
Brian only hums as his fingers glide along the hem of his boxers and Jae waits with bated breath that he finally tugs it down. If not, he’ll gladly do it himself.
“Was it so bad to share a room with Sungjin in college?”
Jae tries to kick the younger, but strong arms hinder him. Fuck, Jae has nearly forgotten how strong Brian actually is. That he can hold him up for minutes to fuck into him relentlessly. His cock twitches at the thought of what happened in Monaco, of Brian coming out of that pool all wet while Jae was lounging under the parasol and watched him like a hawk. Jae hates wet bodies that press against his dry one, but god, Brian on that day had been god-sent so Jae couldn’t keep his hands to him.
“Answer me.”
A loud moan tears through the apartment once Brian quickly gets rid of the boxers and immediately surges in for the dick, taking in half of it in one swoop. Jae’s hand shoots down and nestles into Brian’s hair while the other grips the blanket beneath him.
Impatience is only one of Brian’s bad traits, teasing comes second. First, he shows him the real deal and then he only gives small and short kisses to the tip of dick while looking up into his eyes.
“I’m not talking about Sungjin while we’re about to fuck,” Jae grits through his teeth and tugs on Brian’s hair. A moan spills out of his mouth, something that reminds Jae of how good it feels – if Brian’s mouth is on him.
“You are the one who is trying to get something out of me.”
Just then, Brian surges down to take him in as far as he can, his hand making up for the rest that doesn’t fit, his tongue pressing along his length as he goes up again. Once he goes down, Jae waits until he reaches the deepest point to tug on his hair and feel the moan around his dick again. Jae thrusts his hip up to get his cock deeper into Brian’s mouth, yet Brian’s fingers keep him in place as he goes up for some air after nearly choking. Jae sees his chance to latch his lips on to that pretty unmarked throat.
“I’m more trying to get something into you,” Jae breathes against Brian’s neck before he starts sucking on it. Meanwhile, his hands wander down to grab Brian’s full ass and massage his buttocks. Brian throws his head into his neck to give Jae more space and his arms find their way around Jae to press him closer into him.
“Then finally get to it.”
Jae doesn’t need to be told twice and topples them over. Brian’s hair fans around him, and the light hits him just right. He looks so pliant beneath Jae. Jae needs a moment to take in that pretty sight that does something to his heart and breath that Jae doesn’t want to be aware of.
“Fuck,” Jae mutters under his breath. His hand darts out to caress softly along his jaw up to his ear. He aligns his palm to his cheek and Brian leans into the touch, snuggling into it like a cat without breaking his eye contact with Jae. The way he looks at him, it’s different than otherwise. It has this quality to it, a fire that burns deeply within them both, raging like a storm and destroying everything in its path. “Fuck.”
Fuck indeed. Jae is here on a mission that he can’t forget about. Losing himself in whatever this is can endanger this whole thing. Jae can’t risk it, so he does the only thing that he can. He turns Brian around and makes sure that his face is pressed into the bed and his hips up for him to take.
“C’mon,” Brian slurs against the pillow. A challenge, nonetheless. His finger points to the nightstand next to the bed. Jae doesn’t need to be told twice.
The lube squelches between his fingers as he rubs it warm. His other hand caresses Brian’s thigh and ass while Jae tries to get his mind back on trail. He doesn’t want his thoughts to linger on how he feels seeing Brian like this. It’s the usual sight, same shit as always, it’s not their first time fucking, and it surely won’t be the last.
There is just something about Brian, always has been, that pulls Jae in like a magnet. Jae claims to hate the man, but his body always longs for his touch. It’s difficult to describe the way their relationship works, especially ever since Monaco. They usually don’t talk about it, but it’s Brian who always delves into the topic as if it’s nothing. As if Monaco didn’t change anything. Maybe not for Brian.
The burnt child fears the fire, and Jae is adamant on not being burnt thrice.
Brian's mewls are obscene once Jae is three fingers in. Brian’s hips are pushing back on said fingers, especially when Jae finds his sweet spot inside. He gently rubs against it while he starts to pump his own dick, putting on a condom and then pumping more to spread the lube.
Only then does Brian leave his spot to push Jae back into the mattress. He starts to kiss Jae slowly on his mouth, so different from before. It isn’t hot or serves the sole purpose of turning on the other. This is so much more intimate, like a whisper spoken through actions instead of words, little promises of whatever Brian tries to tell him. Jae has always been weak for those kisses, especially if they come from Brian.
Their kiss is interrupted by Brian sinking slowly down on his cock so he can adjust to him. Brian is so hot and so tight around his dick that Jae nearly chokes on his breath once he fills Brian completely. They gaze at each other, fingers wandering around hot skin to find leverage, Jae’s stopping on Brian’s hips and Brian’s fiddling around with his necklace.
And then he starts to move. They start to move. Unhurriedly to enjoy the slow build of their orgasms, disrupted steadily by their urge to kiss the other. Jae pulls Brian down and rolls them around, stops the pounding to get fully immersed in their kiss. Brian’s lips are addicting to him, a cigarette that never stops burning. Jae hitches one of Brian’s legs on his waist and starts to move torturously slowly, trying every angle until he hits that one spot.
His breath gets caught in his throat when Brian arches his back and presses further into Jae, his fingers scratching along his back to leave marks. He has a thing for marking Jae so the world can see that Jae has been claimed by someone else, while Jae always tries to hide those marks and appear as the free man that he makes himself seem to be.
“Faster,” Brian huffs and pushes Jae deeper into him with his leg. “C’mon, give it to me.”
Jae grits his teeth and heeds Brian’s wish, fucking into him deeper, harder, faster. The moans that tear themselves out of Brian’s throat spur him on even more. He feels the orgasm building steadily in his groan.
His skin is glistening. The moon shines perfectly on his face, accentuating the high cheekbones and nose, the slant of his eyes lure him in further. Jae leans his forehead against Brian’s while his hand grabs between them for Brian’s dick and starts to get him off. Their eyes meet and never leave each other, a certain feeling building between them. Jae can’t hold it back anymore, doesn’t know why he says it, but it’s out of his mouth before he registers it.
“You’re so pretty.”
And suddenly Brian moans loudly, his hole clenches around Jae’s dick so tightly. Brian’s cock twitches between Jae’s fingers while it paints their bodies with white streaks. Jae is nearly there too, still pounding into Brian hard. He cradles Brian’s face into his clean hand and pulls it back to where it belongs, forehead against forehead, nose against nose, lips against lips.
“Look at me, Brian,” Jae pleads with him. “Look at me, Younghyun.”
Brian’s eyes instantly shoot open, his gaze lost in a state of bliss while something hesitant crosses them, gone as soon as it has come with Jae abruptly reaching his peak and filling the condom. Brian’s lips hungrily chase after his loud moan, legs and arms intertwining behind his body to keep Jae right where he is: directly against him.
Their kiss is slow and sloppy, both exhausted in the aftermath.
Brian is lying on his chest when Jae is about to drift off to sleep, but he shakes himself awake and pushes his hair out of his face, his other hand softly stroking the hair on Brian’s nape until the younger shakes himself off and sits up.
“I’m gonna head for the shower.” He presses a last kiss into Jae’s palm before he goes for the shower.
Jae waits until Brian disappears in the bathroom and the door closes to scramble off in search for his pants. It’s hard not to make any noise in a dark apartment he is only semi-familiar with, but somehow Jae does it. Second hurdle is to find Brian’s laptop after he retrieved the USB from his pants. Dowoon’s words are ringing in his ears, the instructions burnt into his mind. Find the laptop, put in the USB drive, and start the program installed on it.
Brian’s laptop lies on a desk in his bedroom, and Jae does as instructed. He types in the password that Dowoon got from who knows where, puts in the USB, and starts the program. He watches the number at the bottom of the program climbing up torturously slowly. Sweat runs down his temple and his knee whips up and down in nervousness.
“C’mon,” Jae mutters under his breath and hits the laptop once, twice in hopes of getting things done faster.
When it hits the eighty percent mark, the shower is suddenly turned off and Jae’s mind goes overdrive. He needs to act fast. He takes a lot of strewn around clothes and throws them on the laptop to hide the light of the screen and his USB, then jumps back into bed just when the bathroom door swings open and Brian walks in stark naked but clean.
“You’re still here,” Brian says off-handedly and starts to rub his hair dry while making his way to the bed. Jae swallows heavily in fear because Brian’s right. Jae never stays longer than he has to and makes a run for it as soon as he’s able to. Usually Brian’s after-sex shower.
“I can go if you want me to.”
The program should be finished by now. Jae only needs to take it sneakily from under the pile of clothes and then bolt the fuck out of here. However, he hasn’t anticipated what Brian says next.
“Nah, it’s late. Just stay the night.” Once Brian notices that Jae stares at him with wide eyes, he adds a chill, “Don’t worry, I’ll drive you home early enough that you won’t be late for work.”
“Why?” Jae asks in his stupor as his mind can’t catch up with what is actually happening.
Brian blinks at him innocently and then has the audacity to smile prettily at him. “Because you want to work hard even though I told you it’s useless?”
“Why are you so sure that you’ll win this case?”
“Because,” Brian starts and stops in a dramatic pause to shuffle around the room and procure an envelope from his desk that he throws to Jae. “I have this.” Dread fills Jae’s stomach when he looks at the envelope. He is hesitant to take it, even with Brian’s encouraging smile. “Take it, I’m gladly showing you my hand because then you can save the hard work and accept that I’ve won right from the start.”
The spurt of courage he gains from that challenge makes him go for the envelope. Jae opens it with a hard-set face to not show Brian any weakness, but once he sees its content Jae curses loud.
“Fucking shit—”
“Told you so.” And because Jae doesn’t feel like a fool enough, Brian reveals his laptop and even brings it to Jae on the bed. Jae’s heart plummets to the floor when Brian suddenly offers the flash drive with a smile. “Trust me, there’s nothing on here that you can use against me. Game over.”
“How did you know—”
“That you’d be going for my hard drive?” Brian chuckles and then pushes the USB into Jae’s hands, closes Jae’s fingers around it. “You are always coming to me if you want something. I guessed that you want revenge for what I’ve done in court, but when you didn’t interrogate me while fucking, I had a hunch.”
“And now you give it to me to mock me,” Jae laughs desperately. Brian is always a step ahead of him. It doesn’t help that Brian is suddenly intertwining their fingers and pulls his hand in for a kiss against his wrist while the other starts fiddling with his necklace.
“Maybe I want you to know every little detail of me, good and bad.”
“Only an idiot would want that. What would you get out of it? I could use every information I find against you.”
“But you won’t.” Jae squeezes Brian’s hand in anger, confused and frustrated and something tethering on the edge of something. He feels like falling and exploding at the same time, looking into a pit that he wants to jump into. “Because I trust you, Jaehyung.”
Jae breathes in sharply and lets himself pull down so Brian can rest his head onto his chest again, nuzzling his nose into Jae’s shoulder where he starts to press kisses into. “Please stay the night, Jae.”
Fuck.
Fuck!
Jae suddenly jumps out of the bed and collects his clothes to leave the apartment as fast as he can, not once looking back to see Brian’s cold gaze turning into something desperate and full of longing.
Jae never stays the night. And he won’t start with it on any other day soon.
~~~
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!”
Wonpil flinches back as soon as he opens the door to a furious and exhausted looking Jae.
“What the hell? It’s, like, three in the morning?”
Jae only presses the envelope against Wonpil’s chest and pushes past him into the flat, storming through it right toward the bedroom in hopes of finding nothing in there – which he luckily doesn’t. What he catches, though, is his own sight. Jae looks awful. His hair is a mess after being carded through again and again, his neck is littered with angry red marks, he didn’t even take the time to button it up correctly. Doesn’t have the time now too, not in the way Wonpil panics.
“Where did you get this from?!”
Jae throws his hands into the air. “No, you’re gonna tell me what the hell is going on here. Because that looks like an affair between you and Sungjin! My goddamn client!”
“Where. Do. You. Have this from?” Wonpil pushes the envelope back into Jae’s chest, clenching his teeth and challenging his boss. That he has the audacity to look at him like that. The anger takes him over and Jae grabs Wonpil’s lapel, tugging him closer to fletch his teeth right in front of Wonpil’s face.
“Wonpil, if you want to keep your job, you answer me right this instant. Because if this is exactly what it’s looking like, then we have a goddamn big problem. Understood?”
But Wonpil has none of it. “Don’t threaten me. This is an evasion of my privacy; I can sue the guy who—”
“You fucking idiot!” Jae pushes Wonpil away none too gently and throws one picture after another to the floor; Wonpil and Sungjin looking into each other’s eyes in a restaurant, kissing behind veils in Wonpil’s flat, going to the bedroom and vanishing behind closed windows. “Sungjin is in the middle of a contested divorce. If anyone sees this, him obviously having an affair with my secretary, there’s no way that I will win the case.”
“But the judge won’t approve those as evidence. This is violation of—”
“It doesn’t have to be approved. Sungjin is unfaithful. He cheats on her – with another man even!”
“You’ve told us that you’re going to win the case in thirty minutes! You promised it even!” Wonpil eyes shine with tears gathering in them, his challenging look melting into one of desperation because he slowly realizes that he fucked up. They fucked up. Jae wants to calm him down, tell him that it’s all good, but he can’t.
“I didn’t know that Brian would be there.”
“Fuck,” Wonpil exclaims loudly. He takes a few breaths to calm himself down before he looks at Jae contemplating, anger finding its way in his expression. “You two—I can’t believe it. How long do you want to war against him? It was okay when it was only the two of you, but now you’re taking it out on other people who don’t deserve it. I love Sungjin, okay?! And he loves me, too! It took me months to make him leave his wife so that we can finally be together. This was our first and last night, we wanted to wait, but—"
“I promised you to win, so why would you be careful,” Jae realizes with a loud sigh. He rubs his eyes, trying to think straight in that dilemma. “Fuck! That fucker lied to the judge. How else did he get those pictures if he got the case ten minutes before the trial?”
“What should we do now?”
The million-dollar question, huh? The anger leaves slowly his body and acceptance slowly trickles into his mind. His hands card through his hair once his thoughts are less of a mess than minutes ago.
“Okay,” Jae eventually says and exhales slowly. “You’ll tell Sungjin about this first thing in the morning. I would only punch him in the face for being that idiotic.” When Wonpil tries to butt in, Jae hushes him with a curt glance. “I have an idea how we can solve this situation, but I need time for that.”
“Is there anything else that I can do to help?”
“Yes. Call Dowoon and tell him I’m at his flat in ten minutes.”
And with that, Jae storms out of the flat as quick as he has come in.